Despite shutting down its system completely for most of last week after the Heartbleed bug was revealed, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) says that the ID numbers of around 900 people were stolen.

The national tax agency reopened its computer systems Sunday, April 13, after applying a patch for Heartbleed. But before that was accomplished, the breach allowed the unauthorized access to the 900 CRA accounts.

CRA Commissioner Andrew Treusch today released a statement regarding the unauthorized access to the tax system:

"Regrettably, the CRA has been notified by the Government of Canada's lead security agencies of a malicious breach of taxpayer data that occurred over a six-hour period. Based on our analysis to date, Social Insurance Numbers (SIN) of approximately 900 taxpayers were removed from CRA systems by someone exploiting the Heartbleed vulnerability. We are currently going through the painstaking process of analyzing other fragments of data, some that may relate to businesses, that were also removed."

More info by mail: Treusch said CRA will send a registered letter to the 900 Canadian taxpayers who lost their ID numbers to hackers. The agency also has established a dedicated 1-800 number (which will be in the letter) where they can get further information.

"The CRA will also provide those who have been affected with access to credit protection services at no cost," said Treusch. "And we will apply additional protections to their CRA accounts to prevent any unauthorized activity."

Online systems OK: CRA says its systems that came back online over the weekend are secure.

"Thanks to the dedicated support of Shared Services Canada and our security partners, the Agency was able to contain the infiltration before the systems were restored yesterday," Treusch noted in the statement.

"Further, analysis to date indicates no other CRA infiltrations have occurred either before or after this breach."

Scam alert for all: Meanwhile, every Canadian taxpayers should be on alert for scams likely to emerge in the wake of the breach.

CRA notes that none of its employees will be calling or emailing individuals to inform them that they have been impacted. If you don't get a registered letter from national tax officials, your account information is fine.

So don't fall for any phishing schemes referencing Heartbleed. The attempts to get more tax ID numbers will no doubt be directed at all Canadian taxpayers in criminal hopes of exploiting the fear they might be among the 900 compromised accounts.

I also wouldn't be surprised to see crooks try to use the Canadian situation to their malicious advantage in the United States. That means taxpayers south of the 49th parallel also need to be on guard for Heartbleed tax scams.

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Weekly Tax Tip

10 tax moves to make by Dec. 31 — December's arrival means that it's time to make some year-end tax moves. This year, several traditional tax-saving steps take on new urgency since they could soon be gone under tax reform legislation nearing enactment. (Dec. 6, 2017)

Check out all the latest post-April 18 tax advice in the 2017 edition of Weekly Tax Tips. Since we've all finally filed our 2016 taxes, most of these tips now will focus on moves to cut your 2017 tax bill. If, however, you're looking to amend an old return or just want more tax tidbits, feel free to peruse this year's Daily Tax Tips at their respective filing season monthly pages: January, February, March and April.

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Tax Year 2017 CountdownIt's over! The final 2016 tax year extended filing deadline has passed. Now it's time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2017 tax bill. Most of them must be made by Dec. 31, or for some transactions by the last business day of the year, which is Friday, Dec. 29, since the 31st is on a Sunday. This countdown clock will make sure you don't miss these crucial tax deadlines. Note: I'm in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.

Time for Tax Tasks

Ho, Ho, Ho! You better watch out. You better not cry over taxes. Santa's watching you and all the tax moves you make in December.

Click image to watchSanta's delivery route.

OK, maybe Santa doesn't really care about your taxes, but he does know if you're naughty or nice, so you'd better be nice, especially when it comes to taxes! So let's get to some tax moves to make this December that will keep you on the good list kept by both Santa and the Internal Revenue Service.

Dec. 1: The last month of the tax year starts with a bit of tax uncertainty, but not about 2017 tax laws. Instead, we're waiting to see what type of tax cuts and/or tax reform Congress might approve (or not). While any changes will predominantly affect the coming 2018 tax years, some of the new laws could have an impact on what we need to do by Dec. 31. So with just 31 days to go, let's get started on making some tax-reform influenced year-end tax moves.

Dec. 5: Did you get a part-time job to earn extra cash for the holidays? If you're paid as a contractor instead of as an employee, remember that you'll be responsible for income taxes due on the money, as well as any self-employment taxes. The same tax considerations also apply if you're part of gig economy, but you'll also want to check out ways to maximize your side hustle earnings.

Dec. 15: Have you been riding the still-climbing stock market roller coaster this year? Then you probably/should have some capital gains you can take. The tax rate for long-term holdings is lower than your ordinary income tax rate, but you can reduce or possibly zero out any tax if you also had some stock losses. You also might want to sell profitable holdings in order to reset your basis.

Dec. 19: Education tax breaks might change under tax reform, so consider paying tuition now for 2018 classes that will start in the first quarter of next year. That way you'll be able to use those costs to claim the American Opportunity Tax Credit.

Dec. 22: It's the last weekend before Christmas! That means holiday treats, final decorations and frantic last-minute shopping! If you decide to go big this holiday, a major purchase like a car, boat or airplane (and more) could mean added sales tax you might be able to deduct as an itemized expense. I'm not trying to push you to a dealership, but the House and Senate tax bills are calling for elimination of the state and local income and sales tax deductions, so this might be the last year you can claim this tax break.

Dec. 24: Christmas Eve! No taxes tonight. It's early to bed for kiddies of all ages. Santa's on his way!

Dec. 25:Merry Christmas! My gift to you is another day without tax thoughts. Just enjoy the holiday and your family and friends.

Dec. 26: Happy Boxing Day. This unofficial holiday on St. Stephen's Dayis celebrated by additional giving. If you donate to your favorite charity on this day or by the end of the year, you can claim the itemized deduction when you file your return next spring … as long as you follow the donation tax rules.

Dec. 31: This is it. The drop-dead deadline to make most 2017 tax moves. So do a quick check.

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AKA Disclaimer:

I am a professional journalist who has been covering tax issues since 1999. I am not a professional tax preparer. The content on Don't Mess With Taxes is my personal opinion based on my study and understanding of tax laws, policies and regulations. It is provided for your private, noncommercial, educational and informational purposes only. It is not a recommendation of any specific tax action(s) you should or should not take. Similarly, mentions of products or services are not endorsements. In other words, my ramblings on the ol' blog are free advice and you know what they say about getting what you pay for. That's why when it comes to filing your taxes, I urge you to get additional, professional, paid-for guidance from an accountant, Enrolled Agent or other qualified tax preparer who is familiar with your individual tax circumstances.